
<!DOCTYPE html>

<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /><meta name="generator" content="Docutils 0.19: https://docutils.sourceforge.io/" />

  <title>add_library &mdash; CMake 3.27.4 Documentation</title>

    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../_static/pygments.css" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../_static/cmake.css" />
    
    <script data-url_root="../" id="documentation_options" src="../_static/documentation_options.js"></script>
    <script src="../_static/jquery.js"></script>
    <script src="../_static/underscore.js"></script>
    <script src="../_static/_sphinx_javascript_frameworks_compat.js"></script>
    <script src="../_static/doctools.js"></script>
    <script src="../_static/sphinx_highlight.js"></script>
    
    <link rel="shortcut icon" href="../_static/cmake-favicon.ico"/>
    <link rel="index" title="Index" href="../genindex.html" />
    <link rel="search" title="Search" href="../search.html" />
    <link rel="next" title="add_link_options" href="add_link_options.html" />
    <link rel="prev" title="add_executable" href="add_executable.html" />
 

  </head><body>

    <div class="related" role="navigation" aria-label="related navigation">
      <h3>Navigation</h3>
      <ul>
        <li class="right" style="margin-right: 10px">
          <a href="../genindex.html" title="General Index"
             accesskey="I">index</a></li>
        <li class="right" >
          <a href="add_link_options.html" title="add_link_options"
             accesskey="N">next</a> |</li>
        <li class="right" >
          <a href="add_executable.html" title="add_executable"
             accesskey="P">previous</a> |</li>
  <li>
    <img src="../_static/cmake-logo-16.png" alt=""
         style="vertical-align: middle; margin-top: -2px" />
  </li>
  <li>
    <a href="https://cmake.org/">CMake</a> &#187;
  </li>
  <li>
    <a href="../index.html">3.27.4 Documentation</a> &#187;
  </li>

          <li class="nav-item nav-item-1"><a href="../manual/cmake-commands.7.html" accesskey="U">cmake-commands(7)</a> &#187;</li>
        <li class="nav-item nav-item-this"><a href="">add_library</a></li> 
      </ul>
    </div>  

    <div class="document">
      <div class="documentwrapper">
        <div class="bodywrapper">
          <div class="body" role="main">
            
  <section id="add-library">
<span id="command:add_library"></span><h1><a class="toc-backref" href="#id1" role="doc-backlink">add_library</a><a class="headerlink" href="#add-library" title="Permalink to this heading">¶</a></h1>
<nav class="contents" id="contents">
<p class="topic-title">Contents</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#add-library" id="id1">add_library</a></p>
<ul>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#normal-libraries" id="id2">Normal Libraries</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#object-libraries" id="id3">Object Libraries</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#interface-libraries" id="id4">Interface Libraries</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#imported-libraries" id="id5">Imported Libraries</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#alias-libraries" id="id6">Alias Libraries</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#see-also" id="id7">See Also</a></p></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>
<p>Add a library to the project using the specified source files.</p>
<section id="normal-libraries">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id2" role="doc-backlink">Normal Libraries</a><a class="headerlink" href="#normal-libraries" title="Permalink to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_library(</span><span class="nv">&lt;name&gt;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">STATIC</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">|</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="no">SHARED</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">|</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="no">MODULE</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">            </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">            </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nv">&lt;source&gt;...</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Adds a library target called <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;name&gt;</span></code> to be built from the source files
listed in the command invocation.  The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;name&gt;</span></code>
corresponds to the logical target name and must be globally unique within
a project.  The actual file name of the library built is constructed based
on conventions of the native platform (such as <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lib&lt;name&gt;.a</span></code> or
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;name&gt;.lib</span></code>).</p>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">New in version 3.1: </span>Source arguments to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_library</span></code> may use &quot;generator expressions&quot; with
the syntax <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">$&lt;...&gt;</span></code>.  See the <span class="target" id="index-0-manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)" title="cmake-generator-expressions(7)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-manual docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">cmake-generator-expressions(7)</span></code></a>
manual for available expressions.</p>
</div>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">New in version 3.11: </span>The source files can be omitted if they are added later using
<span class="target" id="index-0-command:target_sources"></span><a class="reference internal" href="target_sources.html#command:target_sources" title="target_sources"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target_sources()</span></code></a>.</p>
</div>
<p><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">STATIC</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SHARED</span></code>, or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MODULE</span></code> may be given to specify the type of
library to be created.  <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">STATIC</span></code> libraries are archives of object files
for use when linking other targets.  <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SHARED</span></code> libraries are linked
dynamically and loaded at runtime.  <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MODULE</span></code> libraries are plugins that
are not linked into other targets but may be loaded dynamically at runtime
using dlopen-like functionality.  If no type is given explicitly the
type is <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">STATIC</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SHARED</span></code> based on whether the current value of the
variable <span class="target" id="index-0-variable:BUILD_SHARED_LIBS"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../variable/BUILD_SHARED_LIBS.html#variable:BUILD_SHARED_LIBS" title="BUILD_SHARED_LIBS"><code class="xref cmake cmake-variable docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BUILD_SHARED_LIBS</span></code></a> is <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ON</span></code>.  For <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SHARED</span></code> and
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MODULE</span></code> libraries the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE.html#prop_tgt:POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE" title="POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE</span></code></a> target
property is set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ON</span></code> automatically.
A <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SHARED</span></code> library may be marked with the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:FRAMEWORK"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/FRAMEWORK.html#prop_tgt:FRAMEWORK" title="FRAMEWORK"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">FRAMEWORK</span></code></a>
target property to create an macOS Framework.</p>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">New in version 3.8: </span>A <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">STATIC</span></code> library may be marked with the <span class="target" id="index-1-prop_tgt:FRAMEWORK"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/FRAMEWORK.html#prop_tgt:FRAMEWORK" title="FRAMEWORK"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">FRAMEWORK</span></code></a>
target property to create a static Framework.</p>
</div>
<p>If a library does not export any symbols, it must not be declared as a
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SHARED</span></code> library.  For example, a Windows resource DLL or a managed C++/CLI
DLL that exports no unmanaged symbols would need to be a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MODULE</span></code> library.
This is because CMake expects a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SHARED</span></code> library to always have an
associated import library on Windows.</p>
<p>By default the library file will be created in the build tree directory
corresponding to the source tree directory in which the command was
invoked.  See documentation of the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY.html#prop_tgt:ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY" title="ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY</span></code></a>,
<span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY.html#prop_tgt:LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY" title="LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY</span></code></a>, and
<span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY.html#prop_tgt:RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY" title="RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY</span></code></a> target properties to change this
location.  See documentation of the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:OUTPUT_NAME"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/OUTPUT_NAME.html#prop_tgt:OUTPUT_NAME" title="OUTPUT_NAME"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT_NAME</span></code></a> target
property to change the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;name&gt;</span></code> part of the final file name.</p>
<p>If <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL</span></code> is given the corresponding property will be set on
the created target.  See documentation of the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL.html#prop_tgt:EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL" title="EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL</span></code></a>
target property for details.</p>
<p>See the <span class="target" id="index-0-manual:cmake-buildsystem(7)"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-buildsystem.7.html#manual:cmake-buildsystem(7)" title="cmake-buildsystem(7)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-manual docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">cmake-buildsystem(7)</span></code></a> manual for more on defining
buildsystem properties.</p>
<p>See also <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_sf:HEADER_FILE_ONLY"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_sf/HEADER_FILE_ONLY.html#prop_sf:HEADER_FILE_ONLY" title="HEADER_FILE_ONLY"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_sf docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">HEADER_FILE_ONLY</span></code></a> on what to do if some sources are
pre-processed, and you want to have the original sources reachable from
within IDE.</p>
</section>
<section id="object-libraries">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id3" role="doc-backlink">Object Libraries</a><a class="headerlink" href="#object-libraries" title="Permalink to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_library(</span><span class="nv">&lt;name&gt;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="no">OBJECT</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nv">&lt;source&gt;...</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Creates an <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-buildsystem.7.html#object-libraries"><span class="std std-ref">Object Library</span></a>.  An object library
compiles source files but does not archive or link their object files into a
library.  Instead other targets created by <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_library</span></code> or
<span class="target" id="index-0-command:add_executable"></span><a class="reference internal" href="add_executable.html#command:add_executable" title="add_executable"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_executable()</span></code></a> may reference the objects using an expression of the
form <span class="target" id="index-0-genex:TARGET_OBJECTS"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#genex:TARGET_OBJECTS" title="TARGET_OBJECTS"><code class="xref cmake cmake-genex docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">$&lt;TARGET_OBJECTS:objlib&gt;</span></code></a> as a source, where
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">objlib</span></code> is the object library name.  For example:</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_library(</span><span class="p">...</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">$&lt;</span><span class="no">TARGET_OBJECTS</span><span class="o">:</span><span class="nb">objlib</span><span class="o">&gt;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">...</span><span class="nf">)</span>
<span class="nf">add_executable(</span><span class="p">...</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">$&lt;</span><span class="no">TARGET_OBJECTS</span><span class="o">:</span><span class="nb">objlib</span><span class="o">&gt;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">...</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>will include objlib's object files in a library and an executable
along with those compiled from their own sources.  Object libraries
may contain only sources that compile, header files, and other files
that would not affect linking of a normal library (e.g. <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.txt</span></code>).
They may contain custom commands generating such sources, but not
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PRE_BUILD</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PRE_LINK</span></code>, or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">POST_BUILD</span></code> commands.  Some native build
systems (such as Xcode) may not like targets that have only object files, so
consider adding at least one real source file to any target that references
<span class="target" id="index-1-genex:TARGET_OBJECTS"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#genex:TARGET_OBJECTS" title="TARGET_OBJECTS"><code class="xref cmake cmake-genex docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">$&lt;TARGET_OBJECTS:objlib&gt;</span></code></a>.</p>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">New in version 3.12: </span>Object libraries can be linked to with <span class="target" id="index-0-command:target_link_libraries"></span><a class="reference internal" href="target_link_libraries.html#command:target_link_libraries" title="target_link_libraries"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target_link_libraries()</span></code></a>.</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="interface-libraries">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id4" role="doc-backlink">Interface Libraries</a><a class="headerlink" href="#interface-libraries" title="Permalink to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_library(</span><span class="nv">&lt;name&gt;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="no">INTERFACE</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Creates an <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-buildsystem.7.html#interface-libraries"><span class="std std-ref">Interface Library</span></a>.
An <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INTERFACE</span></code> library target does not compile sources and does
not produce a library artifact on disk.  However, it may have
properties set on it and it may be installed and exported.
Typically, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INTERFACE_*</span></code> properties are populated on an interface
target using the commands:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p><span class="target" id="index-0-command:set_property"></span><a class="reference internal" href="set_property.html#command:set_property" title="set_property"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">set_property()</span></code></a>,</p></li>
<li><p><span class="target" id="index-1-command:target_link_libraries"></span><a class="reference internal" href="target_link_libraries.html#command:target_link_libraries" title="target_link_libraries(interface)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target_link_libraries(INTERFACE)</span></code></a>,</p></li>
<li><p><span class="target" id="index-0-command:target_link_options"></span><a class="reference internal" href="target_link_options.html#command:target_link_options" title="target_link_options(interface)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target_link_options(INTERFACE)</span></code></a>,</p></li>
<li><p><span class="target" id="index-0-command:target_include_directories"></span><a class="reference internal" href="target_include_directories.html#command:target_include_directories" title="target_include_directories(interface)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target_include_directories(INTERFACE)</span></code></a>,</p></li>
<li><p><span class="target" id="index-0-command:target_compile_options"></span><a class="reference internal" href="target_compile_options.html#command:target_compile_options" title="target_compile_options(interface)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target_compile_options(INTERFACE)</span></code></a>,</p></li>
<li><p><span class="target" id="index-0-command:target_compile_definitions"></span><a class="reference internal" href="target_compile_definitions.html#command:target_compile_definitions" title="target_compile_definitions(interface)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target_compile_definitions(INTERFACE)</span></code></a>, and</p></li>
<li><p><span class="target" id="index-1-command:target_sources"></span><a class="reference internal" href="target_sources.html#command:target_sources" title="target_sources(interface)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target_sources(INTERFACE)</span></code></a>,</p></li>
</ul>
<p>and then it is used as an argument to <span class="target" id="index-2-command:target_link_libraries"></span><a class="reference internal" href="target_link_libraries.html#command:target_link_libraries" title="target_link_libraries"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target_link_libraries()</span></code></a>
like any other target.</p>
<p>An interface library created with the above signature has no source files
itself and is not included as a target in the generated buildsystem.</p>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">New in version 3.15: </span>An interface library can have <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:PUBLIC_HEADER"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/PUBLIC_HEADER.html#prop_tgt:PUBLIC_HEADER" title="PUBLIC_HEADER"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PUBLIC_HEADER</span></code></a> and
<span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:PRIVATE_HEADER"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/PRIVATE_HEADER.html#prop_tgt:PRIVATE_HEADER" title="PRIVATE_HEADER"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PRIVATE_HEADER</span></code></a> properties.  The headers specified by those
properties can be installed using the <span class="target" id="index-0-command:install"></span><a class="reference internal" href="install.html#command:install" title="install(targets)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">install(TARGETS)</span></code></a> command.</p>
</div>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">New in version 3.19: </span>An interface library target may be created with source files:</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_library(</span><span class="nv">&lt;name&gt;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="no">INTERFACE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nv">&lt;source&gt;...</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Source files may be listed directly in the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_library</span></code> call or added
later by calls to <span class="target" id="index-2-command:target_sources"></span><a class="reference internal" href="target_sources.html#command:target_sources" title="target_sources"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target_sources()</span></code></a> with the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PRIVATE</span></code> or
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PUBLIC</span></code> keywords.</p>
<p>If an interface library has source files (i.e. the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:SOURCES"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/SOURCES.html#prop_tgt:SOURCES" title="SOURCES"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SOURCES</span></code></a>
target property is set), or header sets (i.e. the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:HEADER_SETS"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/HEADER_SETS.html#prop_tgt:HEADER_SETS" title="HEADER_SETS"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">HEADER_SETS</span></code></a>
target property is set), it will appear in the generated buildsystem
as a build target much like a target defined by the
<span class="target" id="index-0-command:add_custom_target"></span><a class="reference internal" href="add_custom_target.html#command:add_custom_target" title="add_custom_target"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_target()</span></code></a> command.  It does not compile any sources,
but does contain build rules for custom commands created by the
<span class="target" id="index-0-command:add_custom_command"></span><a class="reference internal" href="add_custom_command.html#command:add_custom_command" title="add_custom_command"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command()</span></code></a> command.</p>
</div>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>In most command signatures where the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INTERFACE</span></code> keyword appears,
the items listed after it only become part of that target's usage
requirements and are not part of the target's own settings.  However,
in this signature of <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_library</span></code>, the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INTERFACE</span></code> keyword refers
to the library type only.  Sources listed after it in the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_library</span></code>
call are <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PRIVATE</span></code> to the interface library and do not appear in its
<span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:INTERFACE_SOURCES"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/INTERFACE_SOURCES.html#prop_tgt:INTERFACE_SOURCES" title="INTERFACE_SOURCES"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INTERFACE_SOURCES</span></code></a> target property.</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="imported-libraries">
<span id="add-library-imported-libraries"></span><h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id5" role="doc-backlink">Imported Libraries</a><a class="headerlink" href="#imported-libraries" title="Permalink to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_library(</span><span class="nv">&lt;name&gt;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;type&gt;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="no">IMPORTED</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">GLOBAL</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Creates an <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-buildsystem.7.html#imported-targets"><span class="std std-ref">IMPORTED library target</span></a> called <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;name&gt;</span></code>.
No rules are generated to build it, and the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:IMPORTED"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/IMPORTED.html#prop_tgt:IMPORTED" title="IMPORTED"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPORTED</span></code></a> target
property is <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">True</span></code>.  The target name has scope in the directory in which
it is created and below, but the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">GLOBAL</span></code> option extends visibility.
It may be referenced like any target built within the project.
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPORTED</span></code> libraries are useful for convenient reference from commands
like <span class="target" id="index-3-command:target_link_libraries"></span><a class="reference internal" href="target_link_libraries.html#command:target_link_libraries" title="target_link_libraries"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target_link_libraries()</span></code></a>.  Details about the imported library
are specified by setting properties whose names begin in <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPORTED_</span></code> and
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INTERFACE_</span></code>.</p>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;type&gt;</span></code> must be one of:</p>
<dl>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">STATIC</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SHARED</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MODULE</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">UNKNOWN</span></code></dt><dd><p>References a library file located outside the project.  The
<span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:IMPORTED_LOCATION"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/IMPORTED_LOCATION.html#prop_tgt:IMPORTED_LOCATION" title="IMPORTED_LOCATION"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPORTED_LOCATION</span></code></a> target property (or its per-configuration
variant <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:IMPORTED_LOCATION_&lt;CONFIG&gt;"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/IMPORTED_LOCATION_CONFIG.html#prop_tgt:IMPORTED_LOCATION_&lt;CONFIG&gt;" title="IMPORTED_LOCATION_&lt;CONFIG&gt;"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPORTED_LOCATION_&lt;CONFIG&gt;</span></code></a>) specifies the
location of the main library file on disk:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p>For a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SHARED</span></code> library on most non-Windows platforms, the main library
file is the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.so</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.dylib</span></code> file used by both linkers and dynamic
loaders.  If the referenced library file has a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SONAME</span></code> (or on macOS,
has a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">LC_ID_DYLIB</span></code> starting in <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&#64;rpath/</span></code>), the value of that field
should be set in the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:IMPORTED_SONAME"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/IMPORTED_SONAME.html#prop_tgt:IMPORTED_SONAME" title="IMPORTED_SONAME"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPORTED_SONAME</span></code></a> target property.
If the referenced library file does not have a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SONAME</span></code>, but the
platform supports it, then  the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:IMPORTED_NO_SONAME"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/IMPORTED_NO_SONAME.html#prop_tgt:IMPORTED_NO_SONAME" title="IMPORTED_NO_SONAME"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPORTED_NO_SONAME</span></code></a> target
property should be set.</p></li>
<li><p>For a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SHARED</span></code> library on Windows, the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:IMPORTED_IMPLIB"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/IMPORTED_IMPLIB.html#prop_tgt:IMPORTED_IMPLIB" title="IMPORTED_IMPLIB"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPORTED_IMPLIB</span></code></a>
target property (or its per-configuration variant
<span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:IMPORTED_IMPLIB_&lt;CONFIG&gt;"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/IMPORTED_IMPLIB_CONFIG.html#prop_tgt:IMPORTED_IMPLIB_&lt;CONFIG&gt;" title="IMPORTED_IMPLIB_&lt;CONFIG&gt;"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPORTED_IMPLIB_&lt;CONFIG&gt;</span></code></a>) specifies the location of the
DLL import library file (<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.lib</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.dll.a</span></code>) on disk, and the
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPORTED_LOCATION</span></code> is the location of the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.dll</span></code> runtime
library (and is optional, but needed by the <span class="target" id="index-0-genex:TARGET_RUNTIME_DLLS"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#genex:TARGET_RUNTIME_DLLS" title="TARGET_RUNTIME_DLLS"><code class="xref cmake cmake-genex docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TARGET_RUNTIME_DLLS</span></code></a>
generator expression).</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Additional usage requirements may be specified in <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INTERFACE_*</span></code> properties.</p>
<p>An <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">UNKNOWN</span></code> library type is typically only used in the implementation of
<a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-developer.7.html#find-modules"><span class="std std-ref">Find Modules</span></a>.  It allows the path to an imported library (often found
using the <span class="target" id="index-0-command:find_library"></span><a class="reference internal" href="find_library.html#command:find_library" title="find_library"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">find_library()</span></code></a> command) to be used without having to know
what type of library it is.  This is especially useful on Windows where a
static library and a DLL's import library both have the same file extension.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OBJECT</span></code></dt><dd><p>References a set of object files located outside the project.
The <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:IMPORTED_OBJECTS"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/IMPORTED_OBJECTS.html#prop_tgt:IMPORTED_OBJECTS" title="IMPORTED_OBJECTS"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPORTED_OBJECTS</span></code></a> target property (or its per-configuration
variant <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:IMPORTED_OBJECTS_&lt;CONFIG&gt;"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/IMPORTED_OBJECTS_CONFIG.html#prop_tgt:IMPORTED_OBJECTS_&lt;CONFIG&gt;" title="IMPORTED_OBJECTS_&lt;CONFIG&gt;"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPORTED_OBJECTS_&lt;CONFIG&gt;</span></code></a>) specifies the locations of
object files on disk.
Additional usage requirements may be specified in <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INTERFACE_*</span></code> properties.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INTERFACE</span></code></dt><dd><p>Does not reference any library or object files on disk, but may
specify usage requirements in <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INTERFACE_*</span></code> properties.</p>
</dd>
</dl>
<p>See documentation of the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPORTED_*</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INTERFACE_*</span></code> properties
for more information.</p>
</section>
<section id="alias-libraries">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id6" role="doc-backlink">Alias Libraries</a><a class="headerlink" href="#alias-libraries" title="Permalink to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_library(</span><span class="nv">&lt;name&gt;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="no">ALIAS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;target&gt;</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Creates an <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-buildsystem.7.html#alias-targets"><span class="std std-ref">Alias Target</span></a>, such that <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;name&gt;</span></code> can be
used to refer to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;target&gt;</span></code> in subsequent commands.  The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;name&gt;</span></code> does
not appear in the generated buildsystem as a make target.  The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;target&gt;</span></code>
may not be an <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ALIAS</span></code>.</p>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">New in version 3.11: </span>An <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ALIAS</span></code> can target a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">GLOBAL</span></code> <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-buildsystem.7.html#imported-targets"><span class="std std-ref">Imported Target</span></a></p>
</div>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">New in version 3.18: </span>An <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ALIAS</span></code> can target a non-<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">GLOBAL</span></code> Imported Target. Such alias is
scoped to the directory in which it is created and below.
The <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:ALIAS_GLOBAL"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/ALIAS_GLOBAL.html#prop_tgt:ALIAS_GLOBAL" title="ALIAS_GLOBAL"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ALIAS_GLOBAL</span></code></a> target property can be used to check if the
alias is global or not.</p>
</div>
<p><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ALIAS</span></code> targets can be used as linkable targets and as targets to
read properties from.  They can also be tested for existence with the
regular <span class="target" id="index-0-command:if"></span><a class="reference internal" href="if.html#target" title="if(target)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">if(TARGET)</span></code></a> subcommand.  The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;name&gt;</span></code> may not be used
to modify properties of <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;target&gt;</span></code>, that is, it may not be used as the
operand of <span class="target" id="index-1-command:set_property"></span><a class="reference internal" href="set_property.html#command:set_property" title="set_property"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">set_property()</span></code></a>, <span class="target" id="index-0-command:set_target_properties"></span><a class="reference internal" href="set_target_properties.html#command:set_target_properties" title="set_target_properties"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">set_target_properties()</span></code></a>,
<span class="target" id="index-4-command:target_link_libraries"></span><a class="reference internal" href="target_link_libraries.html#command:target_link_libraries" title="target_link_libraries"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target_link_libraries()</span></code></a> etc.  An <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ALIAS</span></code> target may not be
installed or exported.</p>
</section>
<section id="see-also">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id7" role="doc-backlink">See Also</a><a class="headerlink" href="#see-also" title="Permalink to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p><span class="target" id="index-1-command:add_executable"></span><a class="reference internal" href="add_executable.html#command:add_executable" title="add_executable"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_executable()</span></code></a></p></li>
</ul>
</section>
</section>


            <div class="clearer"></div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
      <div class="sphinxsidebar" role="navigation" aria-label="main navigation">
        <div class="sphinxsidebarwrapper">
  <div>
    <h3><a href="../index.html">Table of Contents</a></h3>
    <ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">add_library</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#normal-libraries">Normal Libraries</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#object-libraries">Object Libraries</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#interface-libraries">Interface Libraries</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#imported-libraries">Imported Libraries</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#alias-libraries">Alias Libraries</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#see-also">See Also</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

  </div>
  <div>
    <h4>Previous topic</h4>
    <p class="topless"><a href="add_executable.html"
                          title="previous chapter">add_executable</a></p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <h4>Next topic</h4>
    <p class="topless"><a href="add_link_options.html"
                          title="next chapter">add_link_options</a></p>
  </div>
  <div role="note" aria-label="source link">
    <h3>This Page</h3>
    <ul class="this-page-menu">
      <li><a href="../_sources/command/add_library.rst.txt"
            rel="nofollow">Show Source</a></li>
    </ul>
   </div>
<div id="searchbox" style="display: none" role="search">
  <h3 id="searchlabel">Quick search</h3>
    <div class="searchformwrapper">
    <form class="search" action="../search.html" method="get">
      <input type="text" name="q" aria-labelledby="searchlabel" autocomplete="off" autocorrect="off" autocapitalize="off" spellcheck="false"/>
      <input type="submit" value="Go" />
    </form>
    </div>
</div>
<script>document.getElementById('searchbox').style.display = "block"</script>
        </div>
      </div>
      <div class="clearer"></div>
    </div>
    <div class="related" role="navigation" aria-label="related navigation">
      <h3>Navigation</h3>
      <ul>
        <li class="right" style="margin-right: 10px">
          <a href="../genindex.html" title="General Index"
             >index</a></li>
        <li class="right" >
          <a href="add_link_options.html" title="add_link_options"
             >next</a> |</li>
        <li class="right" >
          <a href="add_executable.html" title="add_executable"
             >previous</a> |</li>
  <li>
    <img src="../_static/cmake-logo-16.png" alt=""
         style="vertical-align: middle; margin-top: -2px" />
  </li>
  <li>
    <a href="https://cmake.org/">CMake</a> &#187;
  </li>
  <li>
    <a href="../index.html">3.27.4 Documentation</a> &#187;
  </li>

          <li class="nav-item nav-item-1"><a href="../manual/cmake-commands.7.html" >cmake-commands(7)</a> &#187;</li>
        <li class="nav-item nav-item-this"><a href="">add_library</a></li> 
      </ul>
    </div>

    <div class="footer" role="contentinfo">
        &#169; Copyright 2000-2023 Kitware, Inc. and Contributors.
      Created using <a href="https://www.sphinx-doc.org/">Sphinx</a> 5.3.0.
    </div>
  </body>
</html>